Improvement in folding chairs



a. F. MiTCHE LL' & A.'A. SHEAFE,

Improvement in Folding Chairs.

; I Pate nted Feb. 6,1872.

Unrrnn S'rn'rns Pernnr @rrrcn.

GEORGE F. MITCHELL AND ALBERT A. SHEAFE, OF SOUTH BOSTON, MASS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FOLDING CHAIRS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 123,412, dated February6, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE F. MITCHELL and ALBERT A. SHEAFE, of SouthBoston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improved Folding Chair; and we do hereby declare that thefollowing, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies andforms part of this specification, is a description of our inventionsufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

Our invention relates to that class of chairs in which the parts of eachchair-frame are hinged together, so that they may be folded to bring thechair into compact space for packing, or for storing, or any otherpurpose. In most of said chairs the frame is composed of two parts,which cross each other in Xshape and are pivoted together, the partsbeing substantially alike, except that one is extended up more than theother, to form the back. In chairs thus made the shape is arbitrary, andthe weight of an occupant of such a chair always exerts a strain uponthe crossed parts, tending to unduly spread them. Moreover the tippingor folding seat cannot be arranged with much regard to comfort. In ourimproved chair we do not cross the legs, but make a front frame composedof two vertical posts or legs connected by suitable stretchers (whichlegs extend up to a height sufficient to attach to their topsarm-forming straps) and a sea-t and back-leg frame, composed of twocurved legs, the upper end of each of which is a horizontal bar, the twoconnected bars forming the frame for the seat, the front legs beinghinged to the front ends of these two bars, and two curved andupwardly-extending bars being hinged to the two seat and rear-leg piecesat the points where the horizontal part of each runs into the curvedpart thereof. The straps extend from the tops of the front legs or poststo the back frame, and serve not only as arm-rests but as ties to aid insustaining the back in position. The parts being so formed and hingedtogether, the back may be folded down upon the seat, and the front legor post-frame turned so as to bring the lower ends of the legs under andagainst the seat. It is in this construction of a folding chair that ourinvention consists.

The drawing represents a chair embodying the invention.

A shows a perspective elevation of the open chair. B is a side view ofit. C is a view of the closed or folded chair. a to denote the two frontposts connected by a stretcher or rung, I), and forming therewith arigid frame. To these posts are hinged the front ends of the twohorizontal seat-bars c, the rear end of each being curved and extendedrearward and downward to form the rear legs (I, the two opposite seatand leg pieces 0 (I being connected by rungs or stretchers, e. To theleg and seat frame the backbarsfarc hinged, as seen at g, the bars fextending upward and the two being connected by the straps h h with theupper ends of the posts a a. The hinge 0, that connects each part a withthe adjacent bar 0, is under said bar, so that the lower ends of theposts fold inward against the bars, while the bars f are hinged to thetops of the bars 0, so that they fold over against or toward the seat,the upper ends of the posts and the upper ends of the back-frame beingbrought together when folded.

This arrangement and method of connecting the parts forms a vet-5 strongchair, and one that is very comfortable to recline in, and also forms agraceful article of furniture. By making the strap longer or shorter theinclination of the back may be varied, as will be readily understood. 7/

WVe claim- A folding chair, having the vertical posts a a and theback-bars f hinged tothe bar and rear-leg pieces 0 (I, substantially asshown and described.

GEORGE F. MITCHELL. ALBERT A. SHEAFE. Witnesses:

FRANCIS GOULD, M. W. FROTHINGHAM.

